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You’ve finished hundreds of applications; you’ve filled and re-filled countless forms in Indeed, LinkedIn, and a litany of other job boards; and you’ve agonized over every detail of your resume, customizing it for each position.
And, finally, opportunity knocks.
You’ve got the date set for your first interview. They seem to like you right off the bat — everything feels great, right?
But then the thought of the interview kicks in — and the dread soon follows. The feelings of judgment, the feelings of inadequacy, and already you start to feel your pulse climb.
Whew. Take a breath. Does this feel familiar? If so, don’t worry. You’re far from alone, as almost everyone feels some level of anxiety when facing an interview.
But is seeking interview coaching right for everyone? And what does an interview coach even do? Let’s dive in.
What is an Interview Coach and What Do They Do?
By definition, an interview coach is someone who is a skilled communications expert who helps others understand and overcome the personal and professional anxieties that fuel interview anxiety.
But quality interview coaches don’t just nod their head and say “Have you tried being less nervous?”
Let’s take a look at some of the specific ways interview coaches help transform the interviewing experience from being filled with dread to imbuing you with determination and a bit of excitement.
Interview coaches help you explore what may be fueling your job interview anxiety.
Can there be a lot riding on a job interview? Absolutely. Let’s not mince words: Job interviews are important life events.
However, as humans, when we experience anxiety, we might find ourselves accidentally falling into catastrophic thinking or “catastrophizing” our thoughts surrounding the job interview.
Working together, interview coaches help you dig into previous instances where you may have felt interview anxiety and dig into some of the factors driving those feelings.
Equipped with this personal insight, you and your interview coach will be able to create a better plan for navigating these moments of interview anxiety and the tools you can deploy to quell them.
Interview coaches give you behavioral tools you can use to increase your confidence when interviewing.
The best interview coaches are expert communicators and speakers in their own right, drawing from a wealth of personal experience — and tackling their own anxieties — throughout their career.
In short, they’ve lived through more anxiety-riddled moments of interpersonal communication and public speaking than the vast majority of the public. They’ve discovered what works, what doesn’t, and how to make people engage with their message.
Drawing from this wealth of experience in their own careers, and reinforcing this knowledge with data-driven research, they help you develop key behavioral tools that:
Help decision-makers connect to your story and experience as a candidate
Increase confidence while speaking in any public or interpersonal setting
Communicate empathy and strengthen interpersonal connection
These tools can be physical tactics, like body positioning and overall body language mindfulness, or key mental and emotional steps you can take to better prepare for your job interview.
Interview coaches train you to communicate more clearly, confidently, and effectively with decision-makers.
Great interview coaches are also communication experts. And a quality coach will help you understand the elements that comprise effective communication, including:
How your body’s positioning and overall presence impact your communication.
Having a positive and empathetic mindset
Time, setting, and tonal delivery
Ultimately, an interview is just another setting for communication. It’s an opportunity for both the company and you to assess if you’re right for one another by getting to know one another as people first.
By helping you re-frame the interview into an opportunity for person-to-person communication and connection, and by giving you the interpersonal tools to confidently connect with people, interview coaches give you the tools to excel in even the highest-pressure interviews.
Interview coaches allow you to recognize the real value and unique talents you bring to employers.
Most of us are our own toughest critics. When we prepare for a job interview, we’re forced to take an honest, and often difficult look at ourselves and our professional achievements.
And for those that struggle with anxiety, it’s easy to fall into the mental trap of “I’m just another face in the crowd; there’s nothing unique about me.”
It’s here where quality interview coaches do some of their most transformative work.
Together, you’ll journey through your personal and professional history and achievements and reveal how those results could have only been made possible by you being you.
Armed with this insight and how your lived experiences, personality, and talents created outcomes that would have otherwise never been realized, you’ll be empowered with a new sense of professional self-confidence.
And it’s this confidence — combined with the mental, behavioral and emotional tactics you’ll learn from your interview coach — that will help you overcome you interview anxiety and make meaningful connections with hiring managers and other key decision-makers.
What Should You Look for In an Interview Coach?
Excited about the prospect of working with a quality interview coach? Awesome!
But before you pop open another browser tab and begin your search online, make sure you know how to best assess if a potential coach is right for you.
While no two interview coaches will have the exact same approach, the same experiences, or the same specializations, be sure to look for the following when sizing them up:
Qualifications as a communications expert
The best interview coaches aren’t purely interview coaches. They’ve got a deep personal and professional background as a seasoned communications expert.
Whether it’s helping companies build stronger teams, helping others excel at public speaking, or working as a keynote speaker themselves, interview coaches have a track record of excelling — and helping others excel — at communication.
A history of helping strengthen both organizations and individuals
During the interview process, companies are really just trying to get a feel for whether or not you’d be a good fit at a technical and skill level, as well as culturally within their operations.
On the flip side of the coin, it’s your opportunity as the candidate to get a feel for them, their culture, and if you feel like it’s a good fit for you and your desired career trajectory.
Good interview coaches have a wealth of experience helping both companies and job-seeking candidates. With this experience, they’re able to clearly understand the motivations, the anxieties, and the overall goals from both sides of the table.
Armed with this knowledge, you’re then able to get a sense of how your job interviewer might feel, thereby allowing you to more easily understand their motivations and to connect with them on a more human level, rather than seeing them as a challenge to be overcome.
Proven results of their interview coaching for others
Naturally, as with any business or service provider, you should always look for a track record of the successes they’ve brought to others.
With interview coaches, this is no different.
Here, look for testimonials from job seekers who have used their services. Moreover, if it’s available, try to see the different industries that these satisfied customers have specialized in. The interview coach you’re looking to use may specialize in a specific niche and might not be well-suited to help you if you’re not in a related industry.
Ideally, you’ll find that the coach you choose has helped people across multiple industries and experience levels overcome their job interview anxieties and land more opportunities.
Overcome Your Job Interview Anxiety with Personalized Interview Coaching
I’ve helped people from all industries, professions, and walks of life overcome their job interview anxiety, communicate confidently, and land the jobs they’re targeting. If you’re ready to take the next step, please don’t hesitate to reach out via our contact form.
Thanks for reading,
Chris
Excel at your next job interview with interview coaching.
